ICON LLC’s iPhone game, NxtApp, seems to be grabbing the headlines during National Math Appreciation Month. The Washington Post raves that NxtApp – iPhone Brain Gym – is a math app for mental acrobatics and writes “In time for National Math Appreciation month, NxtApp iPhone Brain Gym is the perfect app for those a bit rusty on mental math… Compete with yourself to improve your time in a given stage or fight to the top of the app’s leaderboard.”

Check out the following press release to find out what’s the fuss about:

McLean, Virginia – Hayley Tsukayama of The Washington Post writes: “In time for National Math Appreciation month, NxtApp iPhone Brain Gym is the perfect app for those a bit rusty on mental math. Players get their neurons firing by identifying the next number in a pattern or solving problems with exponentials. Compete with yourself to improve your time in a given stage or fight to the top of the app’s leaderboard.

One advantage of this app is that you can jump around between categories, so if you get bored adding and subtracting, you can move on to problems with powers. You don’t have to be a math whiz to use it, but the problems are surprisingly challenging – especially if you’re keeping an eye on the timer. It’s 99 cents at the Apple App Store for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad.”

NxtApp is a great puzzle game for iOS devices and tests user’s skills in quickly solving problems. There is a sequence of math and number problems to solve against the clock, and the app is also integrated into Game Center so users can compare high scores.

Pricing and Availability:

NxtApp 1.1 is only $0.99 USD (or equivalent amount in other currencies) worldwide, exclusively through the App Store in the Game and Education categories. Check it out over here: http://itunes.apple.com/app/id415228876

The guys and gals behind Egg Stacker must have timed the release of their app to be around the same time as Easter, but in any case, what does this simple game for iOS devices have to offer to casual gamers? For starters it’s a pretty decent time waster. Players attempt to stack eggs on top of one another like a tower and in such a way that it doesn’t topple down.

The unstacked eggs will appear on top of the screen, sliding from left to right, and players just need to tap anywhere on the screen to cause the egg to drop down to the top of the stack. Mistime the tap and the egg might miss the stack altogether or be left in a precarious position on top of the stack. This kinda reminds me of Jenga and with eggs (albeit virtual ones), the tension is there.

Egg Stacker has 11 levels, each with increasingly difficult objective of stacking more and more eggs, with more cute looking backdrops and egg designs to look forward to. Once the player completes all 11, he or she will gain access to the Endless mode. This is one simple game that is easy to pick up and it’s probably a change of pace to all the Angry Birds out there.

OK, so it’s like the start of the 2nd quarter of the year, and here’s an update on what are my current favourite non-game iPhone apps. I’m a creature of habit, so I tend not to experiment so much on new apps, but you’ll find one or two surprises below:

Foursquare (Free) : The newly updated interface, which promotes competition and exploration, in a word, ROCKS. It’s bound to attract both those who are jaded with the old app, and newbies as well. Current users can certainly appreciate the Explore feature as well. I’m using this to track where I’m at and it certainly help on claims day.

Safe Note (USD 1.99) : Code Drop’s alternative to Apple’s Notes app has one major advantage, password protection. I store plenty of important information on my phone, so it’s imperative that I’ve somewhere to dump all these text info, lock it up and unlock it whenever I want it.

miCoach (Free): Adidas’ training software plays a key part in my marathon training regiment, it’s free and tracks almost everything from my pace and even maps out where I’ve been running. Oh yes, we geeks exercise too you know :).

Expense Mobile (USD 0.99): Other than Foursquare, this is the app that I’m using on a daily basis, and it’s to keep track of my expenses. It’s pretty flexible, allowing me to add categories and sub-categories.

eBay (Free): This is something I’ve gotten into lately, selling old unwanted stuff on eBay. The mobile app is an excellent way to keep track of your buying and selling short of going to the website itself, it is that full-featured.

This is no April Fool’s joke, the creators of Legendary Wars for the iPhone, Liv Games, has not only updated the game to feature Retina Display graphics, they have also come up with a free version of the game. In conjunction with this major update, the paid version has its price slashed to USD 0.99. Check out the press release below for more details:

Orange County, California – Liv Games announces the release of a Free version and the first major update of the acclaimed hybrid fantasy game, Legendary Wars, for iPhone and iPod touch. Legendary Wars offers a unique blend of traditional RTS, RPG, and castle-defense game-play, set in a beautifully crafted, fantasy world.

Now taking full advantage of Apple’s Retina display and Game Center platform, the game offers hours of progression through captivating landscapes, as well as new global leaderboards and more than 50 achievements. With individually controlled units, unique special abilities, exciting boss encounters, and hordes of varied enemies, the strategic game-play grows as quickly as the intricate cast of characters.

Legendary Wars Free offers players seven custom levels that introduce an assortment of units, from noble Elven Archers to brash Magical Unicorns. Within each level, players mine resources and recruit units to send into the fray along 3 lanes of battle. Units can be independently directed to change lanes, advance, retreat, stand guard, or use combat abilities to overwhelm the enemy. The free version also presents an introduction to the rich, varied set of arcade-style mini-games.

“Our goal is to have a game that everyone can truly enjoy, so we built Legendary Wars Free from scratch and made sure it is packed with custom content,” says Orian Livnat, Creator of Legendary Wars. “We can’t wait to bring Legendary Wars to the iPad platform in the coming weeks.”

Legendary Wars has a rich, unique blend of RTS, RPG and tower defense. As players journey through five mystical, though tumultuous, zones in the full version, they set out to unravel the secrets that surround the mysterious Sunstones of Legendaria. Throughout 50-plus stages, players can upgrade the stats of their units, fortify their castle, obtain legendary armor, and unlock even more powerful combat abilities.

As the story progresses, players pit their champions against hordes of Netherworld creatures, and bosses that range from massive frost-breathing dragons to rabies-infected werewolves. “After taking over a year to perfect Legendary Wars, our whole team has been thrilled with the game’s positive reception,” Livnat continues. “We truly appreciate our players, and we’re giving Moonstones to all of our current fans when they update.”

Neon Play’s Paper Glider was featured several months ago as the game was the 10 billionth App Store download. Now, there’s a new follow up called Paper Glider Bomber and it promises an explosive filled experience as players glide through the city on a paper plane bomber and bombing buildings (how does a paper glider carry bombs, I don’t know). Check out the press release below for more details:

Cheltenham, United Kingdom – Paper Glider Bomber is the latest iPhone game launched by Neon Play, the UK based mobile games studio. This game follows on from the original Paper Glider which topped the free charts worldwide when it was announced by Apple to be the App Store’s 10 billionth download.

The idea is simple. Players glide over a city full of skyscrapers in a paper plane bomber. As the plane flies back and forth across the screen, getting lower each time, the objective is to drop bombs to destroy the buildings before you crash into them. Players tap the screen to drop a bomb. The easy controls allow the player to focus on experience of the game.

Paper Glider Bomber uses the same clean cartoon style of the original Paper Glider that fans have grown to love. Players need to be accurate and efficient to make the most out of their limited 10 per crossing bomb supply. The game grows challenging in later levels with taller skyscrapers and the inclusion of hospitals. Dropping a bomb on a hospital loses players 1000 points.

Extra bombs can be obtained from the in-game Bomb Shop by earning or buying coins (IAP), the in-game currency. The Bomb Shop sells Missiles, Cluster Bombs, Building Buster and A-Bombs. Coins can also unlock custom glider themes in the Glider Shop, such as a pink, camouflage and flame glider, or planes that are decorated with the flags of eight major countries. Players can also earn free coins by downloading apps via TapJoy’s Offer Wall.

Paper Glider Bomber features live global leaderboards with Game Center and players can also post their scores on Twitter and Facebook. The original Paper Glider game is about to launch an update with a new game mode called Super Boost. The app has a Boost Shop to buy wind boosts and a Glider Shop to personalize your glider.

Oli Christie, CEO of Neon Play commented, “Following on from the huge success of Paper Glider, we’re delighted to launch the follow-up Paper Glider Bomber. It’s a cracking game that we feel casual gamers will love playing. And with the ability to buy stuff in the Bomb Shop and Glider Shop, it’s going to be a lot of fun and will be a really interesting experiment in the freemium model. We hope it’s a huge success.”

Pricing and Availability:

Paper Glider Bomber 1.0 is free and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Games category. There are optional in-app purchases to buy coins, the in-game currency. Any purchase removes the adverts in the game. Check it out over here: http://itunes.apple.com/app/id426913233

Not everyday I get an iOS game that comes in and remind me about the bit Generations games on the GameBoy Advance. Those games were pieces of 8-bit art and Robot Big’s Lost Paddle for the iPhone kinda pays homage to that. The game is a pretty simple one, players take control of a paddle to hit falling blocks back to where they came from.

This sounds simple but Lost Paddle plays like a shmup that makes you tag every single enemy ship. There’s a pretty nice effect each time a block gets past the paddle, and depending on the game mode, players may have a limit to how many blocks they can let past. The survival mode adds another layer of difficulty with the existence of black blocks, which upon contact is GAME OVER for the player.

Practice mode on the other hand allows users to test themselves against the frantic pace over a course of time. How the player fared will be shown in the main menu in form of a percentage. To add to the plethora of single player modes, there’s a 2 player duel option and OpenFeint integration. Another aspect of the game that impressed me (aside from the graphics and simple gameplay) was the chip-tune soundtrack. Very refreshing compared to that of the bit Generation games.

Nine Over Ten 9/10 rates Lost Paddle at a 4.5 over 5 for being simply an 8-bit blast! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

The folks over at Oceanhouse Media have come up with new e-books (called omBook apps in Oceanhouse-speak) for iOS devices, featuring works from Eileen Christelow, Stan & Jan Berenstain with Mike Berenstain, and Mercer Mayer. Looking at the list of authors alone you can tell that these omBooks are electronic versions of popular children titles. Check out the list below:

Five Little Monkeys Wash the Car by Eileen Christelow. This is the follow up to the #1 Top Paid Book app, Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed. Available on the iTunes App Store for USD 2.99

Berenstain Bears Learn to Share by Stan & Jan Berenstain with Mike Berenstain. This is the 15th app in the Living Lights Series. Available on the iTunes App Store for USD 2.99

Just Me and My Mom LITE by Mercer Mayer. This is the first free lite version to be released for the Little Critter series. This is available for FREE on the iTunes App Store.

Metaversal Studios’ match-3 game, Bad Apples for the iPhone, managed to garner its 1 millionth download recently and as such a sequel, Bad Apples: Battle Harvest, has been announced and it’s currently in the works. Check out the press release below for more information and images of the new characters available in the game:

Metaversal Studios Announces Follow-up To Bad Apples iOS Game In Development

March 30, 2011—The Metaversal Studios team is excited to announce Bad Apples: Battle Harvest, a puzzle game planned for release on Apple’s iOS platform for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad devices. The new title is a sequel to Bad Apples, a puzzle game released in January 2010 that recently surpassed one million downloads on the iTunes App Store.

Bad Apples: Battle Harvest will introduce some major new features to the original Bad Apples match- three style of gameplay. The new title will present more targeted challenges and goals while delivering a richly developed Story Mode that immerses the player in an engaging plotline. Fans of the original Bad Apples title will see a marked evolution in the art style and character design, as well as a colorful cast of new heroes and villains.

While the original Bad Apples has quite a large fan base across many countries, the team at Metaversal Studios believes that the new game has a lot more to offer and will fare even better. “We listened to the feedback from our players and are bringing a new focus on production values, humor and depth to Bad Apples: Battle Harvest while keeping the fun and addictive gameplay elements they loved from Bad Apples,” said Metaversal Producer Dave Landry.

The Bad Apples: Battle Harvest release is planned for late spring 2011 for the iOS platform with an Android version of the game rolling out shortly after the iOS launch.

Doodle Jump ranks as one of those games that have “made it” in the iTunes App Store. Introduced earlier than Rovio’s Angry Birds, it’s heartening to see that developers Lima Sky are still providing updates for the game. This time, they have come up with the long-awaited multiplayer functionality to this immensely popular app.

The game that has captured the hearts and minds of millions of casual gamers around the world thanks to its playful art style, sublime tilt controls and charming protagonist, now allows players to challenge and compete with other iOS players globally via Game Center over a Wi-Fi connection. Check out the press release below for further details:

New York, New York – Lima Sky, the creators of one of the most popular iPhone apps, Doodle Jump, announces a long-awaited update that brings multiplayer functionality to the immensely popular app. The game that has captured the hearts and minds of millions of casual gamers around the world thanks to its playful art style, sublime tilt controls and charming protagonist, now allows players to challenge and compete with other iOS players globally via Game Center over a Wi-Fi connection.

The new multi-player game mechanic pits Game Center friends or auto-matched Game Center foes against one another in a heated race to the finish line. Doodle Jump’s signature power-ups can only be used by one of the match’s players which makes for ultra-competitive gameplay. A rematch option also allows players to attempt to even the score after a close defeat.

“It feels great to finally release the multi-player update to the millions of Doodle Jumpers around the world,” says Igor Pusenjak, founder of Lima Sky. “Competing against your friends for the high score has always been one of the most fun aspects of Doodle Jump. This update transforms the experience with real-time jumping races.”

The move represents the first of many development projects scheduled for 2011 as the established studio continues to expand the Doodle Jump franchise. With development plans to also bring Doodle Jump to XBLA Kinect, one of the hottest sectors in console gaming, as well as development plans for the long-awaited Doodle Jump for iPad, this year is poised to be the biggest yet for one of Mobile’s most famous franchises.

The guys and gals over at Meritum Soft are putting up their hit iPhone app, Atomic Ball, for free on the iTunes App Store for a limited amount of time. The game is a unique incarnation of one of the best arcade games. Atomic Ball features 60 brilliantly designed levels in 10 different graphic themes and 6 awesome soundtracks. The brick busting game offers over 30 power-ups, Game Center support with 20 achievements and more. Check out the press release below for details:

Varazdin, Croatia – Meritum Soft d.o.o. the creators of premium Atomic Ball app game for iPhone and iPod devices are proud to announce limited time Free release on Apple iTunes. Atomic Ball app game comes as unique incarnation of one of the best arcade games in history featuring 60 brilliantly designed levels in 10 different graphic themes and 6 awesome soundtracks!